Lisa, I'm sure vanilla would be just fine. This recipe evolved from the black bean brownies recipe, which I didn't care for but saw promise in. I just started messing with it and posting in the daily about how each new batch turned out. This happened to be the one where I got the baking powder/soda combo right and Laurie copied it out of the daily and put it up here in the recipe thread months later because people were looking for it. I'm thinking about trying peanut butter in them, at Kadyn's request, so I'll have to post how that goes.
I finally tried these yesterday, and have to say they were fantabulous!! I followed the recipe, but used 2 whole eggs instead of the 4 whites, and it was just fine.
I had SF chocolate, and when I served my pieces for dessert I drizzled a little over the top.
The other recipe works fine on P1,but I wasn't personally fond of it, but there is no comparison, once a person is on P2!
I used it as both because of the agave/splenda and cocoa and unsweetened chocolate but it only has about 1/9th a can of beans so more so sweet treat than beans I think.
I wanted to like this. I really, really did. And maybe it's just that I'm not yet all THAT desperate for brownies, but I wanted to try it. The only things I changed were used 1/2 c Splenda rather than agave, and regular skim milk instead of powdered because my eyes and hands are faster than my brain. And two whole eggs rather than four whites.
Okay, then I realized after I poured the batter in that a "blender" isn't the same as the "mixer" I used. But whatever. The tiny goofup on the texture I can fix next time. BUT mine came out waaaaaay too chocolaty and I'm just not the kind of gal who normally says that about anything. It's not that they're not sweet enough, but rather, they're too overpoweringly chocolate. Is it maybe the two baking squares in addition to the powdered chocolate? Because I'm not sure which to cut down for next time.
I WILL try these again! And THANKS for everyone who went to the trouble to post their changes and results. Big help to us all!
Thank you for this recipe! I subbed a teaspoon of espresso powder for the cinnamon but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My son and boyfriend didn't believe me when I told them the ingredients.
I made these but made them Cheesecake Swirl instead! I didn't have the unsweetened chocolate so I decided to do cheesecake swirl instead. I mixed 4 oz of FF cream cheese with one egg and some SF vanilla syrup to taste. Then I dropped spoonfuls of that on and swirled.
On Sunday I made these...plus a pan of 'real' brownies for the menfolk.
I did not have agave so I used about 1/4 cup Splenda ( I was not a fan of the taste of Splenda in the bean muffins I made, so that's why I cut back) I do not have a processor...so I tried to mash the beans with a potato masher, then tried to cream them smooth in my KitchenAid.
I listened to Lexxis and used 2 whole eggs. I did not have the unsweetened chocolate.
I used mini muffin tins, with paper liners. I got 48 of them! calculated to about 15 calories per little cake. I've put them in a big ziplock bag in the refridgerator.
I find them ... okay I am sure if they were smoothly processed that would help the texture, there is the occasional lump of bean that I get If I put a tiny schmear of all natural smooth pb on them, they are much better to me, and I have to have them with a big cup of coffee. But if they become my evening treat, it is a perfectly acceptable treat.
Overall, I thought these were just okay—they did the job for a brownie craving without all the added calories/junk in real brownies. I’ll probably make them again, but I think I will have to play around with the ingredients. Here is what I used:
2 cans Great Northern White Beans (I added an extra can because the mixture was way too thin)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk 1%
1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1/2 cup splenda
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
I put it all in the blender like the directions said, and then baked them at 350 for 40 minutes. But... the consistency was a bit weird. Some parts were crumbly and some parts were mushy almost like chocolate mousse. Should I have used the 4 egg whites but whip them up first? Not sure how else to get a smooth, but moist texture.
Also, I think I will add more splenda next time or use SF vanilla syrup instead of the SF maple syrup, they weren’t sweet enough for me, even with 1/2 cup of splenda.
I really really wanted these to work. With all the great reviews I couldn't wait to bake these! I followed the instructions to the T (except I swapped sugar free maple syrup for sugar free vanilla syrup).
They've been in the oven a full hour now and they will not set. The top is hard, and has kind of cracked, like a desert surface. But the insides are super gooey still. Almost like a custard. But the flavor is PERFECT. you would never know they were baked with beans. Why in the world didn't the texture part work for me? Alouati said they tried two cans of beans because they thought the batter was too thin. Maybe I should have done the same? I don't know, but I'm very disappointed...
( i swirled some peanut butter in one corner of the dish to try, in case you're wondering what that is in The picture I uploaded
Any advice?
The tiny goofup on the texture I can fix next time. BUT mine came out waaaaaay too chocolaty and I'm just not the kind of gal who normally says that about anything. It's not that they're not sweet enough, but rather, they're too overpoweringly chocolate. Is it maybe the two baking squares in addition to the powdered chocolate? Because I'm not sure which to cut down for next time. 
If I put a tiny schmear of all natural smooth pb on them, they are much better to me, and I have to have them with a big cup of coffee. But if they become my evening treat, it is a perfectly acceptable treat.
No success
I really really wanted these to work. With all the great reviews I couldn't wait to bake these! I followed the instructions to the T (except I swapped sugar free maple syrup for sugar free vanilla syrup). 
